Surat: In a major crackdown on long-standing irregularities, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has vacated 11 union offices that had been operating illegally from the civic body’s headquarters for nearly a decade. The unprecedented action was carried out late Wednesday night by Deputy Commissioner Nidhi Siwach, with police personnel present to ensure a smooth takeover.

For years, several unions had grown unchecked within the corporation, often pressuring the administration with protests, slogans, and aggressive programmes over issues such as recruitment, promotions, transfers, and qualification criteria. Some union members allegedly acted arbitrarily and even misbehaved with officials, prompting demands for stronger administrative control.

Notices to 25 unions; Deadline for 11 occupants

The civic body had earlier instructed various unions to vacate their offices at the head office. However, the unions did not comply. A subsequent communication from the Deputy Labour Commissioner on 14 November 2025 clarified that there is no provision for allotting office space to unions, reinforcing the need to vacate the premises.

The SMC explained, “With increasing departmental demands, such as new constructions, appointments, and record management, multiple departments—including Security, Road Development, Professional Tax (Central Zone), TDO, and Vigilance—requested space at the head office. Additionally, the offices of the Mayor, Standing Committee Chairman, and Municipal Commissioner required accessible ground-level space for differently-abled visitors. Due to the lack of available rooms, SMC began the process of clearing union-occupied spaces.”

On Wednesday, following coordination between several departments, two unions—Surat Sudharai Mazdoor Union (Red Flag) and Surat Municipal Corporation Safai Kamdar Mandal—peacefully vacated Room No. 24 and formally handed over possession to SMC.

However, several other unions did not vacate their allotted rooms by the 6:10 PM deadline. These include Surat Municipal Corporation Employees Union, Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Congress, Surat Municipal Corporation Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Jai Gujarat Kamdar Sangh, Surat Sudharai Kamdar Mandal, South Gujarat Industrial General Mazdoor Sangh, Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Sangh (Regd.), Nav Yuvaan Karmachari Seva Sangh, Akhil Bharatiya Safai Kamdar Organisation, Surat Municipal Corporation Staff Union, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Safai Kamdar Union.

Subsequently, the SMC—with police coordination—took possession of these offices on 19 November 2025 at around 10:30 PM. All items found inside were carefully documented and secured. Union office-bearers have been instructed to collect their belongings from the Chief Security Officer.

Unions occupying offices since 2015

The 11 unions have reportedly been functioning without valid registration since 2015, effectively occupying municipal offices illegally for 10 years. Meanwhile, as the crackdown continues, three new unions have submitted applications for recognition to the District Commissioner.

Possible recovery for 10 years of unpaid usage

Since the allotment of these union offices was officially cancelled in 2015, but the unions continued using municipal facilities—electricity, telephone lines, and other equipment—the corporation is now considering issuing recovery notices to collect rent and service charges for the past decade.

Neither the ruling party nor the opposition made any representation in favour of the unions, reflecting a rare consensus to curb what officials describe as a long-standing “nuisance” affecting administrative functioning. DeshGujarat